Peace of mind dryer

ABSTRACT

A vent system for a dryer, may include an exhaust air conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer; a sensor within the conduit and configured to measure the airstream; and a controller configured to receive sensor data from the sensor and determine an airflow. A method for detecting a variation in airflow through a vent of a dryer may include receiving sensor data from at least one sensor in an air conduit of a clothes dryer; determining an estimated airflow based on the sensor data; comparing the estimated airflow to a predetermined expected airflow; and adjusting the estimated airflow in response to the estimated airflow not being within a predefined margin of the predetermined expected airflow.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.63/304,277 filed on Jan. 28, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporatedtherein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Disclosed herein are approaches for detecting obstructions in an exhaustair conduit of dryer laundry appliances.

BACKGROUND

Laundry treating appliances, such as clothes washers, clothes dryers,and refreshers, for example, may have a configuration based on arotating drum that defines a treating chamber in which laundry items areplaced for treating according to a cycle of operation. The laundrytreating appliance may have a controller that implements a number ofpre-programmed cycles of operation having one or more operatingparameters. The cycle of operation may be selected manually by the useror automatically based on one or more conditions determined by thecontroller. In some laundry appliances, such as a dryer, air may bevented out of the drum. However, the vent may become obstructed withlint, objects, etc.

SUMMARY

A method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, the methodmay include receiving sensor data from at least one sensor within adryer, establishing a relationship between an exhaust restriction andthe sensor data, and creating an empirical model based on therelationship.

A system for detecting obstructions in an exhaust air conduit of adryer, may include a first temperature sensor arranged at an entrance ofthe exhaust air conduit, a second temperature sensor arranged at an exitof the exhaust air conduit, and a controller coupled to the firsttemperature sensor and the second temperature sensor and configured toreceive a first temperature and second temperature, respectively, thecontroller programmed to determine whether a difference between thefirst temperature and the second temperature exceeds a predefinedmargin.

In at least one other embodiment, the controller may receive the firsttemperature and the second temperature in response to a dryer heaterbeing turned off and a dryer blower continuing to run.

A system for detecting obstructions in an exhaust air conduit of a dryermay include a lint filter attached to a vent; and a pressure sensorconfigured to detect a pressure at the vent to detect a blockage in thevent in response to a drop in the detected pressure.

A method for detecting a variation in airflow through a vent of a dryer,the method may include receiving sensed motor data from at least onesensor associated with a motor of the dryer, receiving baseline motordata from the motor, and identifying a variation in the airflow of thevent of the dryer based on a difference between the baseline motor dataand the sensed motor data.

A method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, the methodmay include receiving load data indicating at least one of a load sizeand fabric type of a load within a drum of an appliance, generating anexpected airflow based on the load data, receiving sensor dataindicative of an actual airflow of a dryer vent, and recognizing a ventissue in response to the actual airflow differing by a predefined marginfrom the expected airflow.

A method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, the methodmay include receiving sensor data indicating an initial airflow of adryer vent, comparing the initial airflow to an expected predeterminedairflow, and issuing an alert to a user indicating a venting issue inresponse to the initial airflow and the expected predetermined airflowdiffering by a predefined margin.

In another example embodiment, the method may include determiningwhether a predefined amount of time has passed, and receiving, inresponse to the predefined amount of time passing, subsequent sensordata indicative of subsequent airflow of the dryer vent.

A vent system for a dryer, may include an exhaust air conduit configuredto provide an airstream to a dryer, a flap arranged within the airconduit and configured to adjust an angular orientation of the flap withrespect to an airflow direction within the conduit based on theairstream, and a controller configured to receive the angularorientation of the flap and determine an airflow.

In another example embodiment, the system may include an accelerometerconfigured to measure airflow speed of the airstream.

A vent system for a dryer may include an exhaust air conduit configuredto provide an airstream to a dryer, and a damper arranged within the airconduit and configured to dynamically adjust the airstream in responseto a command from a controller.

A vent system for a dryer may include an exhaust air conduit configuredto provide an airstream to a dryer, a sensor within the conduit andconfigured to measure the airstream, a controller configured to receivesensor data from the sensor and determine an airflow.

In another example embodiment, the sensor is a pressure sensor.

In another example embodiment, the sensor is a velocity sensor.

In another example embodiment, the sensor is a hot wire anemometerconfigured to detect a temperature of a wire heated by a dryer heater.

In another example, the sensor is a whistle sensor configured to makeaudible sounds outside of human audible range to provide a continuousairflow reading based on a switching of the whistle sensor.

In another example, the sensor is a camera sensor configured to monitorparticles within a dryer vent receiving the airstream from the conduit.

An off-board dryer vent testing apparatus, may include at least onesensor configured to sense airflow of a dryer vent, at least onecontroller configured to receive the sensed airflow, and at least onedisplay configured to present an airflow level based on the sensedairflow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary arrangements of the present disclosure will now be describedin greater detail with reference to the attached figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a clothes dryer, wherein theclothes dryer may be controlled based on a method according to aspectsof the present disclosure,

FIG. 2 is a front schematic view of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1 ,

FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a controller for controlling theoperation of one or more components of the clothes dryer of FIG. 1 ,

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an airflow model for use in determiningan estimated airflow,

FIG. 5 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum of a dryer,

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an airflow measure systemhaving a lint filter and a vent,

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial perspective view of the motor and coupledbelt,

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow chart for the process of the systemof FIG. 7 ,

FIG. 9 illustrates an example washer and dryer appliances connected to auser device where data such as the load size and fabric type areinputted into the airflow model,

FIG. 10 illustrates an example flow chart for a process for verifyingvent functionality upon installation of the dryer as well as after apredefined amount of time,

FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit,

FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit,

FIG. 13 illustrates an example flow chart for a process for detecting adelta pressure of an airstream within the exhaust air conduit of adryer,

FIG. 14 illustrates a back view of a dryer cabinet having a sensor,

FIG. 15 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet having asensor,

FIG. 16 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet having asensor,

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of a portable vent testingapparatus for testing a dryer vent condition, and

FIG. 18 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum of a dryer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variouslyemploy the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a laundry treating appliance in theform of a clothes dryer 10 according to aspects of the presentdisclosure. While the laundry treating appliance is illustrated as afront-loading dryer, the laundry treating appliance according to aspectsof the present disclosure may be another appliance which performs acycle of operation on laundry, non-limiting examples of which include atop-loading dryer, a combination washing machine and dryer; a tumblingor stationary refreshing/revitalizing machine; an extractor; anon-aqueous washing apparatus; and a revitalizing machine.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the clothes dryer 10 may include a cabinet 12in which is provided a controller 14 that may receive input from a userthrough a user interface 16 for selecting a cycle of operation andcontrolling the operation of the clothes dryer 10 to implement theselected cycle of operation. The clothes dryer 10 will offer the user anumber of pre-programmed cycles of operation to choose from, and eachpre-programmed cycle of operation may have any number of adjustablecycle modifiers. Examples of such modifiers include, but are not limitedto chemistry dispensing, load size, a load color, and/or a load type.

The controller 14 may have a processor for controlling certain cycles,components, etc. The controller 14 may be electrically connected tosignaling interfaces of other components of the dryer 10, therebyallowing the processor of the controller 14 to manipulate the functionsof the dryer 10. For example, the controller 14 may be configured toreceive user input from the user interface 16, such as requests toinitiate a laundry cycle. The controller 14 may also be configured tocontrol communication to devices external to the dryer 10. The processormay include one or more microprocessors, micro-controllers, digitalsignal processors, microcomputers, central processing units (CPU),graphical processing units (GPU), tensor processing units (TPU), fieldprogrammable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, state machines,logic circuits, analog circuits, digital circuits, or any other devicesthat manipulate signals (analog or digital) based on computer-executableinstructions residing in a memory 70.

The cabinet 12 may be defined by a chassis or frame supporting a frontwall 18, a rear wall 20, and a pair of side walls 22 supporting a topwall 24. A door 26 may be hingedly mounted to the front wall 18 and maybe selectively moveable between opened and closed positions to close anopening in the front wall 18, which provides access to the interior ofthe cabinet 12.

A rotatable drum 28 may be disposed within the interior of the cabinet12 between opposing front and rear bulkheads 30 and 32, whichcollectively define a treating chamber 34 having an open face that maybe selectively closed by the door 26. The drum 28 may include at leastone baffle or lifter 36. In most clothes dryers 10, there are multiplelifters 36. The lifters 36 may be located along the inner surface of thedrum 28 defining an interior circumference of the drum 28. The lifters36 may facilitate movement of laundry within the drum 28 as the drum 28rotates.

Referring to FIG. 2 , an air flow system for the clothes dryer 10 isschematically illustrated and supplies air to the treating chamber 34and then exhausts air from the treating chamber 34. The air flow systemmay have an air supply portion that may be formed in part by a supplyair conduit 38, which has one end open to the ambient air and anotherend fluidly coupled to the treating chamber 34. Specifically, the supplyair conduit 38 may couple with the treating chamber 34 through an inletgrill (not shown) formed in the rear bulkhead 32. A fan 40 and a heater42 may lie within the supply air conduit 38 and may be operably coupledto and controlled by the controller 14. If the heater 42 is cycled on,the supplied air will be heated prior to entering the drum 28. The airsupply system may further include an air exhaust portion that may beformed in part by an exhaust air conduit 44. Operation of the fan 40draws air into the treating chamber 34 by the supply air conduit 38 andexhausts air from the treating chamber 34 through the exhaust airconduit 44. The exhaust air conduit 44 may be fluidly coupled with ahousehold exhaust duct (not shown) for exhausting the air from thetreating chamber 34 to the outside environment. However, other air flowsystems are possible as well as other arrangements of the fan 40 andheater 42. For example, the fan 40 may be located in the exhaust airconduit 44 instead of the supply air conduit 38.

The clothes dryer 10 may be provided with a temperature sensor 50 todetermine the temperature of the air in the exhaust air conduit 44. Oneexample of a temperature sensor 50 is a thermocouple. The temperaturesensor 50 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 such that thecontroller 14 receives output from the temperature sensor 50. Thetemperature sensor 50 may be mounted at any location in or near theexhaust air conduit 44 of the clothes dryer 10 such that the temperaturesensor 50 may be able to accurately sense the temperature of the exhaustair flow. For example, the temperature sensor 50 may be coupled thecabinet 12 in the area if the exhaust air conduit 44.

The drum 28 may be rotated by a suitable drive mechanism, which isillustrated as a motor 46 and a coupled belt 48. The motor 46 may beoperably coupled to the controller 14 to control the rotation of thedrum 28 to complete a cycle of operation. Other drive mechanisms, suchas direct drive, may also be used.

The clothes dryer 10 may also have a dispensing system (not shown) fordispensing treating chemistries into the treating chamber 34. Thedispensing system may introduce treating chemistry into the drum 28 inany suitable manner, such as by spraying, dripping, or providing asteady flow of the treating chemistry. The treating chemistry may be ina form of gas, liquid, solid or any combination thereof and may have anychemical composition enabling refreshment, disinfection, whitening,brightening, increased softness, reduced odor, reduced wrinkling, stainrepellency or any other desired treatment of the laundry. Water is oneexample of a suitable treating chemistry. Other non-limiting examples ofsuitable treating chemistries are chromophore chemistry, softeningchemistry, and stain-repellency chemistry. In all cases, the treatingchemistries may be composed of a single chemical, a mixture ofchemicals, or a solution of water and one or more chemicals.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the controller 14 may be provided with amemory 70 and a CPU 72. The memory 70 may be used for storing thecontrol software that may be executed by the CPU 72 in completing acycle of operation using the clothes dryer 10 and any additionalsoftware. The memory 70 may also be used to store information, such as adatabase or table, and to store data received from the one or morecomponents of the clothes dryer 10 that may be communicably coupled withthe controller 14.

The memory 70 may include a single memory device or a number of memorydevices including, but not limited to, random access memory (RAM),volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static random access memory(SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, cache memory,or any other device capable of storing information. The non-volatilestorage may include one or more persistent data storage devices such asa hard drive, optical drive, tape drive, non-volatile solid-statedevice, cloud storage or any other device capable of persistentlystoring information. The memory 70 may maintain data to be displayed onthe user interface 16. This data may be updated, as is described herein.

The dryer 10 may have a wireless transceiver (not shown) configured totransmit and receive digital signals. The dryer 10 may communicate witha cloud system (not shown) configured to maintain information andcommunication with the dryer 10 as well as with other devices such as auser’s mobile device. The cloud system includes a cloud server orcomputing device configured to maintain information and communicate withthe dryer 10.

The controller 14 may be operably coupled with one or more components ofthe clothes dryer 10 for communicating with and/or controlling theoperation of the component to complete a cycle of operation. Forexample, the controller 14 may be coupled with the fan 40 and the heater42 for controlling the temperature and flow rate of the air flow throughthe treating chamber 34; the motor 46 for controlling the direction andspeed of rotation of the drum 28; the temperature sensor 50 forreceiving information about the temperature of the exhaust air flow; andthe user interface 16 for receiving user selected inputs andcommunicating information to the user. The controller 14 may alsoreceive input from various additional sensors 52, which are known in theart and not shown for simplicity. Non-limiting examples of additionalsensors 52 that may be communicably coupled with the controller 14include: a treating chamber 34, a temperature sensor 50, a supply airflow temperature sensor 50, a moisture sensor, an air flow rate sensor,a weight sensor, and a motor torque sensor.

Generally, in normal operation of the clothes dryer 10, a user firstselects a cycle of operation via the user interface 16. The user mayalso select one or more cycle modifiers. In accordance with theuser-selected cycle and cycle modifiers, the controller 14 may controlthe operation of the rotatable drum 28, the fan 40 and the heater 42, toimplement the cycle of operation to dry the laundry. When instructed bythe controller 14, the motor 46 rotates the drum 28 via the belt 48. Thefan 40 draws air through the supply air conduit 38 and into the treatingchamber 34, as illustrated by the flow vectors. The air may be heated bythe heater 42. Air may be vented through the exhaust air conduit 44 toremove moisture from the treating chamber 34. During the cycle, treatingchemistry may be dispensed into the treating chamber 34. Also during thecycle, output generated by the temperature sensor 50 and any additionalsensors 52 may be utilized to generate digital data corresponding tosensed operational conditions inside the treating chamber 34. The outputmay be sent to the controller 14 for use in calculating operationalconditions inside the treating chamber 34, or the output may beindicative of the operational condition. Once the output is received,the controller 14 processes the output for storage in the memory 70. Thecontroller 14 may convert the output during processing such that it maybe properly stored in the memory 70 as digital data. The stored digitaldata may be processed in a buffer memory, and used, along withpre-selected coefficients, in algorithms to electronically calculatevarious operational conditions, such as a degree of wetness or moisturecontent of the laundry. The controller 14 may use both the cyclemodifiers specified by the user and the additional information obtainedby the sensors 50, 52 to carry out the desired cycle of operation.

The previously described clothes dryer 10 provides the structure for theimplementation of aspects of the present disclosure. Several embodimentsof the method will now be described in terms of the operation of theclothes dryer 10. The embodiments of the method function to ensureproper drying of a load of laundry.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example 400 of an airflow model 402 for use indetermining an estimated airflow 404. The airflow model 402 may beconfigured to receive inputs such as load mass 406, temperature 408,voltage 410, and additional sensor data 412. Based on the inputs, theairflow model 402 may be configured to infer an estimated airflow 404 inthe exhaust air conduit 44. This estimated airflow 404 may be used todetermine whether there is a venting issue with the clothes dryer 10.For example, the estimated airflow 404 may be compared to a baselineairflow or an expected, normal airflow to determine if the differencebetween the two values exceeds a predetermined threshold and thusindicates a possible venting issue.

The load mass 406 may include information indicative of the quantity oflaundry in the drum 28. In an example, the load mass 406 may includesensor data from a weight sensor configured to measure the weight of thecontents of the drum 28. In another example, the load mass 406 may beinferred from the selected cycle of operation (e.g., towel dry,delicates, etc.). In yet another example, the load mass 406 may beinferred by torque required from the motor 46 to rotate the drum 28(e.g., the greater the torque, the greater the load mass 406). Thetorque may be estimated from the current draw of the motor 46, as thetorque may be directly proportional to the current.

The temperature 408 may include information indicative of the heat levelin the exhaust air conduit 44. In an example, the temperature 408 may bereceived from the temperature sensor 50 configured for receivinginformation about the heat level of the exhaust air flow. In someexamples, the temperature 408 include additional or alternatetemperature data may be available, such as sensor data indicative of thetemperature of or in the drum 28, and/or ambient temperature outside theclothes dryer 10.

The voltage 410 may include information indicative of the electricpotential being provided to the clothes dryer 10 and/or to the motor 46.In an example, the voltage 410 may be used to infer the current and/ormotor torque along with the current in the power line driving the motor46.

The additional sensor data 412 may include other sources of data thatmay be useful in inferring the estimated airflow 404. Examples of theadditional sensor data 412 may include, as some possibilities: tumblepattern of the selected cycle, gas pressure, gas type (natural gas,propane, etc.), etc.

The airflow model 402 may be any of various types of machine-learningmodels that are trained on data having ground truth information. Forinstance, the airflow model 402 may be trained on a dataset of load mass406, temperature 408, voltage 410, additional sensor data 412, and/ormachine age 414 with actual measured airflows. The airflow model 402 mayutilize various techniques, such as linear regression, polynomialregression, decision trees, random forests, and neural networks, as somenonlimiting examples. The airflow model 402 may then be used and toinfer results based on inputs at runtime. For example, the airflow model402 may receive the load mass 406, temperature 408, voltage 410,additional sensor data 412, inputs at runtime to infer the estimatedairflow 404.

In one example, the additional sensor data 412 may include anothertemperature sensor located upstream or downstream from the temperaturesensor 50. A difference in the temperatures may indicate a restrictioncreated in the airflow. The airflow model 402 may indicate arelationship between exhaust restriction and critical factors such asload size, environment conditions, etc. Further, feedback informationabout the load cycle selection, moisture strip, etc., may also aid todistinguish an airflow threshold. For example, the example 400 mayinclude a method for detecting an empirical model of dryer behavior, themethod including receiving sensor data from at least one sensor withinthe dryer 10, establishing a relationship between an exhaust restrictionand the sensor data, and creating an empirical model based on therelationship.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum 28 of a dryer10. As explained above with respect to FIG. 2 , the clothes dryer 10 maybe provided with a first temperature sensor 50 to determine thetemperature of the air in the exhaust air conduit 44. The firsttemperature sensor 50 may be mounted at any location in or near theexhaust air conduit 44 of the clothes dryer 10 such that the firsttemperature sensor 50 may be able to accurately sense the temperature ofthe exhaust air flow. For example, the first temperature sensor 50 maybe coupled the cabinet 12 in the area if the exhaust air conduit 44.

A second temperature sensor 51 may also be arranged within the exhaustair conduit 44. The first temperature sensor 50 may be arranged at oneend, or the beginning of the exhaust air conduit 44, while the secondtemperature sensor 51 may be arranged downstream of the firsttemperature sensor 50. That is, the first temperature sensor 50 may beat the entrance of the exhaust air conduit 44 and the second temperaturesensor 51 may be at the exit of the exhaust air conduit 44. One exampleof a temperature sensor is a thermocouple. The temperature sensors 50,51 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 (as shown in FIG. 2 )such that the controller 14 receives output from the temperature sensors50, 51.

The temperatures outputted by the temperature sensors 50, 51 may includea first temperature and a second temperature, respectively. In the eventthat the temperatures differ by a predetermined margin, the controller14 may determine that the exhaust air conduit 44 may be obstructed orclogged. In one example, the predetermined margin or predetermineddifference may be 5° C. The controller 14 may then be configured totransmit a signal to a user device, display, etc., indicating the ventissue.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an airflow measure system 600having a lint filter 602 and a vent 604. The vent 604 may connect to thelint filter 602 and be configured to vent air to an exterior wall 610from an interior wall interface 612. The vent 604 may include variousbends, etc., and may be formed from heat resistant but tolerablematerial. The lint filter 602 may include a filter and blower, as wellas a lint chute.

A pressure sensor 620 may be arranged at the vent’s connection with thelint filter 602. At this location, the load noise may not be critical.The controller 14 may receive an indication that the lint filter isclean. This indication may be assumed, or may be input, by the user. Adelta in the airflow measured may indicate if there is a blockagesomewhere, preventing airflow through the vent 604. The pressure sensor620 at the exit point of the dryer 10 may detect a drop in pressure,thus indicating a blockage or restriction. In some examples, a secondpressure sensor may be detected downstream of the other pressure sensor620 in order to detect a difference in pressure that may indicate arestriction in the airflow through the vent 604.

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial perspective view of the motor 46 andcoupled belt 48. As explained above, these components may create thedrive mechanism to rotate the drum 28. The motor 46 may be operablycoupled to the controller 14 to control the rotation of the drum 28 tocomplete a cycle of operation. Other drive mechanisms, such as directdrive, may also be used. The motor 46 may supply feedback information tothe controller 14 such as a motor current, torque, and/or temperature.This may require an additional sensor, or may come from sensorsintegrated in the motor 46. This feedback may be provided to the airflowmodel 402 for comparison to baseline values and determining whether avent

FIG. 8 illustrates an example flow chart for a process 800 of the systemof FIG. 7 . In this example, the controller 14 may receive a motor speedat block 802. A second sensed function, such as a torque and/or current,may be received at block 804. At block 806, these sensed inputs may beused to identify variation in the airflow when compared to a baseline.That is, if the motor speed is not as expected, or the relationship ofthe motor speed and the torque is not as expected, the controller 14 maydetermine that the airflow is not as it should be due to an obstruction,or other issue. That is, the controller 14 may detect a variation inairflow through the dryer vent 604 by receiving sensed motor data fromat least one sensor associated with a motor 46 of the dryer 10 andreceiving baseline motor data from the motor 46. The controller may thencompare the sensed data with the baseline data and identify a variationin the airflow of a vent of the dryer 10 based on a difference betweenthe baseline motor data and the sensed motor data.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example washer and dryer appliances 900 connectedto a user device 902 where data such as the load size and fabric typeare inputted into the airflow model 402. These inputs may be received bythe controller 14 directly from the washer or dryer. Additionally oralternatively, the inputs may be received from a remote device, such asthe user device 902, via an application run thereon.

The user device 902 may wirelessly communicate with the appliances via aWiFi connection, BLUETOOTH, ZIGBEE, IrDA, a radio frequencyidentification (RFID), etc. The user device is configured to include andto communicate with compatible wireless transceivers of various userdevices, including a cloud network (not shown.) Via the application onthe user device 902, the user may indicate the load fabric, as well asthe amount of linens within the appliances. The fabric type may includecotton, linen, lose woven, close woven, silk, heavy duty, whites, etc.The size of the load may include small, medium, and large, for example.

The controller 14 may determine an expected airflow based on thereceived data relating to the load size and fabric type. Should apressure or temperature sensor such as the pressure sensor 620 ortemperature sensors 50, 51 described herein, indicate a value thatindicates an airflow that differs by a predetermined margin from theexpected airflow, then a vent issue may be identified.

As described herein, the user device 902 may also be configured topresent information to the user such as issued detected with theairflow, alerts, etc.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example flow chart for a process 1000 forverifying vent 604 functionality upon installation of the dryer 10 aswell as after a predefined amount of time. At block 1005, afterinstallation, the controller 14 may send commands for instructions to bepresented via the user device 902 instructing the user to tare airflowof the dryer 10. This may include running a test cycle of the dryer 10so that air may flow through the exhaust air conduit 44. At block 1010,the controller 14 may receive sensor data indicating the airflow. Thissensor data may include temperature, velocity, pressure etc., and may betransmitted from the sensors discussed herein, (e.g., the pressuresensor 620 or temperature sensors 50, 51). The sensor data may indicatethe airflow.

At block 1015, the controller 14 may compare the sensed airflow to anexpected airflow. The expected airflow may be preloaded andpredetermined to be the airflow that the dryer is expected to operateat. The expected airflow may be maintained in the memory 70. At block1020 the controller 14 may determine whether the sense airflow is withina predefined margin of the expected airflow. For example, the controller14 may determine whether the temperature readings are withing apredefined margin of an expected temperature reading, e.g., within 2° F.If so, the process 1000 proceeds to block 1025. If not, the process 1000proceeds to block 1040. In other examples, the predefined margin may bea not to exceed margin such as a predetermined threshold. Othermeasurements such as pressure, volume, velocity, etc., may beconsidered. In one instance, the predetermined margin of an expectedpressure may be considered, such as 0.2 inches of water column (wci)with an expected airflow of 0.4 wci. In another example,

At block 1025, the controller 14 may then determine whether apredetermined amount of time has passed. For example, the predeterminedamount of time may be six months, enough time that it may make sense tocheck the vent health. If the time has passed, the process 1000 proceedsto block 1030. If not, the process 1000 returns at block 1025 until thepredetermined amount of time has lapsed.

At block 1030, the controller 14 may receive sensor data indicating theairflow, similar to block 1010. The sensor data may include temperature,velocity, pressure etc., and may be transmitted from the sensorsdiscussed herein, (e.g., the pressure sensor 620 or temperature sensors50, 51). The sensor data may indicate the airflow.

At block 1035, the controller 14 may compare the airflow to thepreviously sensed airflow in block 1010. The previously sensed airflowmay be maintained in the memory 70. Although not shown, the controller14 may compare the new airflow to the previously sensed airflow anddetermine if there is a change in the airflow and thus if there is anobstruction or other issue with the exhaust air conduit 44.

Referring back to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the controller 14 may be configured todetect airflow based on motor speed and torque/current. As explained,this may be achieved via the motor 46 itself, or additional sensors. Inone example, the motor 46 may be a BPM (brushless permanent magnet). Inthe example of additional sensors, external sensors may be used such asferrite sensors and/or printed circuit board (PCB) mounted sensors.

The controller 14 may be configured to adjust the motor speed in orderto control the airflow. Calibration and baseline capabilities tonormalize the unit during installation may also be achieved. Further,the user may be informed when it is time to clean the dryer duct basedon the airflow detection.

FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit 44. Inthis example, the exhaust air conduit 44 is configured to provide anairstream within the dryer 10, and a flap 1102 is arranged within theduct and including a sensor 1104 configured to measure the airflowthrough the exhaust air conduit 44. The sensor 1104 may be configured tomeasure the airflow such as rotary/angle sensor and/or an accelerometer.The sensor 1104 may be configured to provide an angle that correspondsto an airflow. For example, the speed of the airflow may correspond tothe angle. In the example of an accelerometer, the accelerometer mayitself provide the airflow speed to the controller 14. The controller 14may thus evaluate the airflow in view of a baseline or expected airflowin accordance with the examples described herein.

FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of an example exhaust air conduit 44. Inthis example, the exhaust air conduit 44 is configured to provide anairstream within the dryer 10, and a damper 1202 is arranged within theduct and configured to change the airstream during a calibration mode,or during a dryer cycle to put the dryer 10 in a known state. The damper1202 may be driven by a motor (not shown). The motor may be controlledby the controller 14 and configured to dynamically change the airflow bymoving the damper 1202 to a predefined position. The damper 1202 may beused to put the dryer 10 in a known state or known airflow for airflowestimation, diagnostics, etc.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example flow chart for a process 1300 fordetecting a delta pressure of an airstream within the exhaust airconduit 44. The system may include a direct pressure measurement. Thecontroller 14 may generate an airflow estimation, either from themethods described herein, or by looking up an expected airflow in thememory 70 at block 1302. The system may also include a pressure sensor,as describe herein, that may receive a delta pressure measurement atblock 1304. The controller 14 may then compare the two value at block1306 to identify a variation in the airflow. The variation may be thedifference in the two values.

The pressure sensor may provide a continuous airflow reading throughouta dryer cycle. Thus, the controller 14 may monitor the airflow or deltapressure during operation of the dryer 10.

FIG. 14 illustrates a back view of a dryer cabinet 12 having a sensor1402. The sensor 1402 in this example may be configured to sense theairglow within the exhaust air conduit 44 of the dryer 10. The sensor1402 may be a form of velocity sensor. In an example, this velocitysensor may be a moving vane anemometer. The sensor 1402, in anotherexample, may be a paddle wheel sensor.

The controller 14 may receive the sensor data from the sensor 1402 andmay convert the velocity to volumetric or mass flow and provides acontinuous airflow reading throughout a dryer cycle.

In another example, the sensor 1402 may include a hot wire anemometer,including a wire heated by the dryer heater and sensor configured todetect the temperature of the wire, where the amount of heat required tomaintain the temperature of the wire is indicative of the airflow. Thecontroller 14 may receive the temperature readings and correlate thetemperature readings with relationships with the airflow. This may bedone by using a look-up table or other data set or points.

Additionally or alternatively, the amount of current needed to maintaina given temperature may also be correlated to airflow. The wire may beheated by the existing heater or a portion of it. The existing thermalestimators may be replaced with direction measurement of a hot wireanemometer. Further, the system may also include a damper, as discussedabove. The damper could be controlled by a wax motor, that allows thesystem to adjust the airflow dynamically. This could be done in thecalibration mode, or even during a cycle to put the system in a knownstate and help identify system dynamics and airflow estimation. Thecontrolled damper could adjust the airflow until the element or hot wireanemometer maintains a target temperature for a certain amount of time.In one example, the damper may be adjusted iteratively until the targettemperature is maintained for a predefined amount of time.

FIG. 15 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet 12 having asensor 1502. The sensor 1502 in this example may be configured to sensethe airflow within the exhaust air conduit 44 of the dryer 10. Thesensor 1502 may be a whistle sensor configured to detect sounds outsideof the human audible range to provide a continuous airflow reading basedon a switching of the whistle sensor. The whistle sensor may include adiaphragm configured to flutter in response to sound waves within theair conduit 44 creating sine waves, which may be transformed into squarewaves. The frequency of the square wave may then be calculated and thesound signals in the air conduit 44 may be determined. This data fromthe sensor 1502 may provide an additional source of airflow informationfor the airflow estimations and determinations described herein.

FIG. 16 illustrates another back view of a dryer cabinet 12 having asensor 1602. The sensor 1602 in this example may be configured to sensethe airglow within the exhaust air conduit 44 of the dryer 10. Thesensor 1602 may be a visible light and/or infrared (IR) camera tomonitor particles within the airflow to provide a continuous airflowreading based on a switching of the whistle sensor. The sensor 1602 mayalso be a “flap” type, as discussed above with respect to FIG. 11 . Thesensor 1602 may also be a temperature sensor configured to measure airtemperature at a particular area of the exhaust air conduit 44. Thecontroller 14 may use the sensor data to replace (or augment) currentairflow estimations. The sensor 1602 may be arranged at various locationand therefor may also be used for other diagnostics other than airflowdeterminations.

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of a portable vent testingapparatus 1700 for testing a dryer vent condition. The testing apparatus1700 is configured to assess the vent condition independent of the dryer10 itself. The testing apparatus may be portable and may be used bytechnicians and/or consumers. The testing apparatus 1700 maycommunication with the user device 902 and/or an human machine interface(HMI) of the dryer 10.

The testing apparatus 1700 may include a fan 1704, motor (not shown),and at least one sensor 1702. The sensor 1702 may be any one of apressure sensor, temperature sensor, etc., or other sensor discussedherein. The controller 14 may provide instructions to the HMI and/oruser device 902. The testing apparatus 1700 measures airflow leaving theexhaust air conduit 44 at the exterior of the dryer 10. The testingapparatus 1700 may be connected at the dryer side, or at the house exitside of the exhaust air conduit 44 to allow for flexibility andconvenience. That is, the testing apparatus 1700 could be placed at themost accessible point for ease of use. The apparatus 1700 could createairflow via the motor and the fan and utilize build-in sensors to selfcalibrate when disconnected from the vent. Such calibration could thenbe used to quantify the vent restriction when connected at either end ofthe vent during testing. The customer, installer, builder, etc. may thenuse this information to determine the extent, if any, of the ventrestriction and identify a proper dryer model that is suitable for theoperating environment.

The testing apparatus 1700 may output an airflow or backpressurereading. The testing apparatus 1700 could also output a level of thevent condition, such as great, good, poor, etc., based on the senseddata. This could be used by the customer, technician, etc., to aid inproper part selection. For example, the reading on the testing apparatus1700 could allow the user to select various products, such as a standardair vented dryer, long vent dryer, ventless, etc. The testing apparatus1700 could be an after-market device. The testing apparatus 1700 maycommunicate with the user device 902 and provide the results to the userdevice 902. The controller 14 may also be configured to provide ventstatus information and/or product suggestions to the user via the HMIbased on the measured airflow. The testing apparatus 1700 may have itsown display configured to present the testing results in response to thedetected airflow.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example perspective view of a drum 28. Asexplained above with respect to FIG. 5 , the clothes dryer 10 may beprovided with a first temperature sensor 50 to determine the temperatureof the air in the exhaust air conduit 44. The first temperature sensor50 may be mounted at any location in or near the exhaust air conduit 44of the clothes dryer 10 such that the first temperature sensor 50 may beable to accurately sense the temperature of the exhaust air flow. Forexample, the first temperature sensor 50 may be coupled the cabinet 12in the area if the exhaust air conduit 44.

A second temperature sensor 51 may also be arranged within the exhaustair conduit 44. The first temperature sensor 50 may be arranged at oneend, or the beginning of the exhaust air conduit 44, while the secondtemperature sensor 51 may be arranged downstream of the firsttemperature sensor 50. That is, the first temperature sensor 50 may beat the entrance of the exhaust air conduit 44 and the second temperaturesensor 51 may be at the exit of the exhaust air conduit 44. One exampleof a temperature sensor 50, 51 is a thermocouple. The temperaturesensors 50, 51 may be operably coupled to the controller 14 (as shown inFIG. 2 ) such that the controller 14 receives output from thetemperature sensors 50, 51. The first temperature sensor 50 may beadjacent the blower 45 (or fan 40).

The temperatures outputted by the temperature sensors 50, 51 may includea first temperature and a second temperature, respectively. In the eventthat the temperatures differ by a predetermined margin, the controller14 may determine that the exhaust air conduit 44 may be obstructed orclogged. In one example, the predetermined margin or predetermineddifference may be 5° C.

However, during the final drying process, the temperature values may berelatively close. When turning off the heater 42, the blower maycontinue to run for a period of time. Both the temperatures will drop invalue. During this time, the controller 14 may evaluate the output fromthe temperature sensors. For example, the longer the temperature drop inthe first temperature sensor 50, the greater the restriction in theexhaust air conduit 44. The controller 14 may thus evaluate the behaviorof the temperature sensors, including when the dryer heater 42 is turnedoff and the dryer blower continues to run. The controller 14 maycontinually receive temperature values from each of at least twotemperature sensors, and determine a level of conduit 44 or ventrestriction within the dryer based on the temperature values over time.

While the examples described herein generally relate to airflow for theexhaust air conduit 44, the same principals and concepts may be appliedto other dryer airflows, including the supply air conduit 38, amongothers. Further, the term “vent” is used herein to include conduitscapable of carrying airflow and may be interchangeable with the exhaustair conduit 44.

While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended thatthese embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather,the words used in the specification are words of description rather thanlimitation, and it is understood that various changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may becombined to form further embodiments of the invention.

For purposes of description herein the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,”“left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and derivativesthereof shall relate to the device as oriented in FIG. 1 . However, itis to be understood that the device may assume various alternativeorientations and step sequences, except where expressly specified to thecontrary. It is also to be understood that the specific devices andprocesses illustrated in the attached drawings, and described in thefollowing specification are simply exemplary embodiments of theinventive concepts defined in the appended claims. Hence, specificdimensions and other physical characteristics relating to theembodiments disclosed herein are not to be considered as limiting,unless the claims expressly state otherwise.

The descriptions of the various embodiments have been presented forpurposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive orlimited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variationswill be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the described embodiments.

Aspects of the present embodiments may be embodied as a system, methodor computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardwareaspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “module” or“system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take theform of a computer program product embodied in one or more computerreadable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodiedthereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium include the following: an electrical connection havingone or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a RAM, aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory(EPROM) or Flash memory, an optical fiber, a portable compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storagedevice, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context ofthis document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangiblemedium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connectionwith an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof code, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be notedthat, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in theblock may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantiallyconcurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be notedthat each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, andcombinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchartillustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-basedsystems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations ofspecial purpose hardware and computer instructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vent system for a dryer, comprising: an exhaustair conduit configured to provide an airstream to a dryer; a sensorwithin the conduit and configured to measure the airstream; and acontroller configured to receive sensor data from the sensor anddetermine an airflow.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is apressure sensor.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is avelocity sensor.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a hotwire anemometer configured to detect a temperature of a wire heated by adryer heater.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the temperaturecorresponds to an amount of heat of the airflow.
 6. The system of claim5, further comprising a damper arranged in the air conduit andconfigured to adjust the airflow within the conduit.
 7. The system ofclaim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust thedamper based on the temperature of the wire to adjust the airflow. 8.The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured toadjust the position of the damper until a predefined temperature isexceeded.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is furtherconfigured to adjust the position of the damper until a predefined timeis exceeded.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a whistlesensor configured to detect sounds outside of human audible range toprovide a continuous airflow reading based on the detected sounds. 11.The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a camera sensor configuredto monitor particles within a dryer vent receiving the airstream fromthe conduit.
 12. A method for detecting a variation in airflow through avent of a dryer, the method comprising: receiving sensor data from atleast one sensor in an air conduit of a clothes dryer; determining anestimated airflow based on the sensor data; comparing the estimatedairflow to a predetermined expected airflow; and adjusting the estimatedairflow in response to the estimated airflow not being within apredefined margin of the predetermined expected airflow.
 13. The methodof claim 12, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor.
 14. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the sensor is a hot wire anemometer configured todetect a temperature of a wire heated by a dryer heater.
 15. The methodof claim 14, wherein the temperature corresponds to an amount of heat ofthe estimated airflow and the estimated airflow is determined based onthe temperature.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the adjusting ofthe estimated airflow includes instructing an adjustment of a damperarranged in the air conduit.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein theadjusting of the estimated airflow includes instructing an adjustment ofthe damper until a predefined temperature is exceeded.
 18. A vent systemfor a dryer, comprising: an exhaust air conduit configured to provide anairstream to a dryer; a sensor within the conduit and configured tomeasure the airstream, wherein the sensor is a whistle sensor configuredto detect sounds within the conduit outside of human audible range toprovide a continuous airflow reading based on the detected sounds; and acontroller configured to receive sensor data from the whistle sensorindicative of airflow of the airstream.
 19. The system of claim 18,further comprising a damper arranged in the air conduit and configuredto adjust the airflow within the conduit.
 20. The system of claim 19,wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the damper basedon the sensor data.